China offers both investments and credits. Most of Iraq's oil facilities have major chinese investors and much of Iraqi oil goes to China.

I wonder if the Chinese will offer some sort of package for Iraq for air defences. It not only has a monetary advantage vs Russia, but there is less political fallout because of the US embargo against Almaz Antey.

Intel: How Russia is helping Iraq build up its air defenses amid US-Iran escalation

Following the latest hostilities between the United States and Iran inside Iraq, Baghdad has reportedly resumed negotiations with Moscow over reinforcing its air defenses. Mohammed Raza, chairman of the Iraqi parliament’s Defense and Security Committee, told Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency that talks to purchase the S-300 missile system are underway.

Raza said he wasn’t aware of how far along the deal is, but insisted that a possible agreement with Russia is authorized by the Iraqi leadership.

“This should have been settled long ago. But we are expecting a lot of opposition to the deal from the United States,” Raza said. He conceded that earlier attempts to strike an agreement were rolled back over “American threats of sanctions.”

Why it matters: Russia is making tacit moves throughout the Middle East to ensure its status as a deal-maker and a reliable mediator amid a turbulent start to the new year.

Last September, Al-Monitor reported on Russian-Iraqi contacts over a potential reinforcement of protection for the Iraqi skies. The contacts followed Israeli strikes on Iran-linked militias. At the time, Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) leader Falih al-Fayadh visited Moscow for talks with the secretary of the Russian Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, and other officials.

Military-technical cooperation between Russia and Iraq has been on the rise since 2014, when the implementation of previously signed contracts reinforced Iraq’s security system, facilitating the country’s struggle against the Islamic State. Since then, Baghdad’s interest in purchasing Russian missile systems has waxed and waned.

What’s next: Denis Mirgorod, a senior fellow at the North Caucasus-based Institute for Strategic Studies, said that amid the escalation of conflicts in the Middle East, “it seems that the countries of the region are beginning to use an increasingly pragmatic approach in shaping their defense policy.”

“In this regard, the latest news about the intensification of Iraq’s actions to purchase a Russian air defense system seems logical,” he told Al-Monitor, adding that there have been conflicting messages about whether Baghdad is interested in the S-300 or the more modern S-400 system that Russia recently sold to Turkey, sparking a showdown with the United States.

“Most likely, a more modern S-400 will be acquired, the former head of the Iraqi Security and Defense Council, Hakim al-Zamili, announced this in May 2019,” Mirgorod said. “We also note that the ongoing protests in this country should determine Iraq’s foreign policy priorities for a sufficiently long time. And if pro-Iranian political forces come to power, this move can be considered as an integral part of Tehran’s regional policy in the face of increasing pressure.”

Know more: Make sure to read Russia Mideast Editor Maxim Suchkov’s story on how Russia is positioning itself as broker amid Mideast tensions and Ruslan Mamedov’s analysis on how Moscow has engaged Iraq on military technical cooperation.

Iraq has resumed talks with Russia to buy its S-300 surface-to-air missile systems, a senior Iraqi lawmaker told the state-run RIA Novosti news agency following the U.S. killing of a top Iranian commander and Iran’s retaliatory missile strikes there.

Meanwhile, firebrand lawmaker Vladimir Zhirinovsky urged Iran to buy Russia’s advanced S-400 missile systems in the wake of a flare-up in tensions with Washington.
“I told Iran’s leadership to buy our more powerful S-400 and S-500 missile defense systems and to open air, naval and land bases like in Syria,” the state-run TASS news agency quoted Zhirinovsky as saying.

Iraq has several months ago “renewed negotiations on an S-300 contract” with Russia, Mohammad Reza al-Haider, the chairman of the Iraqi parliament’s defense committee, told RIA on Thursday.

Earlier talks — after alleged Israeli strikes on Iran-linked targets in August — were suspended over U.S. threats of sanctions, he said. The S-300 manufacturer is subject to U.S. and European sanctions.

“We expect pushback from the U.S. on this matter,” al-Haider told RIA.

Al-Haider said he was unaware what stage the Russian-Iraqi negotiations have reached, but noted that Baghdad’s leadership has authorized the S-300 purchase.

Iraq has expanded its defense cooperation with Russia in recent years with increased purchases of Russian aircraft and tanks.

Iran fired missiles Wednesday at bases in Iraq where U.S. troops were stationed in retaliation for Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani's killing in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad on Jan. 3. U.S. President Donald Trump said he authorized Soleimani’s assassination because the Iranian commander had planned to blow up a U.S. embassy.

In August, Russia’s ambassador in Baghdad told Iraq’s parliamentary speaker that Moscow was ready to support its UN Security Council initiative to expand its air defense capabilities.

An Iran-linked militia leader visited Moscow in September in what analysts said was “probably connected to Iraq’s interest in expanding military-technical contacts with Russia and purchasing Russian air defense systems.”

Iraq sends a delegation to Russia to purchase the S-300 and S-400 missile systems

BAGDHAD, (BM) – Contrary to the arguments of Western experts that Baghdad’s statements regarding the acquisition of Russian air defense / missile defense systems are nothing more than an attempt to demonstrate independence from the United States, it became known that the Iraqi delegation was sent to Moscow to negotiate the upcoming purchase of Russian modern defense equipment, learned BulgarianMilitary.com.

According to Badr al-Ziyadi, a member of the parliamentary committee on security and defense, Iraq is sending delegations to Russia, China and Ukraine to discuss the purchase of modern air defense systems to protect its territory from any possible aggression or violation of sovereignty.

“Delegations intend to visit countries such as Russia, China and Ukraine to agree on the purchase of modern systems to protect Iraq’s airspace,” he told the As Sabah newspaper. “The Iraqi parliament is now forming a joint executive and legislative delegation to visit developed countries and sign contracts for the purchase of modern weapons,” reports Al Masdar News.

BAGHDAD, (BM) – The Iraqi Parliament’s Security and Defense Commission reported that the country’s national security adviser, during his visit to Moscow, was able to agree with the Russian leadership on the conditions for Russia’s supply of S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems to the Arab country, learned BulgarianMilitary.com according Fars Agency and Iranian newspapper Donya-e eqtesad news articles.

The Defense and Security Commission in the Iraqi parliament has already announced the main results of the recent visit to Russia of the country’s national security adviser, Faleh al-Fayyad.

The representative of the National Security Commission, Karim Alevi, confirmed that Russia agrees to sell S-400 systems to Iraq, and all the issues and problems that existed here have been resolved.

The local Al-Akhad television channel, referring to Alevi, said that these steps of Iraq followed after being disappointed in Baghdad in the actions of the International Coalition to Combat IG * (a terrorist organization banned in Russia – ed.) Headed by with the United States, and also recognized as “false” the promise of the United States to arm the Iraqi army.

A member of the National Security Commission explained that the US promise of arms supplies to the Iraqi army, made back in 2003, remains unfulfilled so far. The representative of the Iraqi parliament also recalled that both the government and the parliament of Iraq “made their conclusions” after the false promises of the United States to supply arms to the Iraqi army and modernize the country’s defense power.

Alevi also emphasized that as a result of this problem in Iraq, it was concluded that in order to obtain high-tech weapons, especially weapons intended for defense, in particular, S-400 complexes, it is necessary to begin negotiations with Russia. As a result, the country’s national security adviser was instructed to visit Russia to begin negotiations on the acquisition of S-400 MANPADS, as well as other weapons. The consent of Russian officials as a result of Al-Fayyad’s visit to Russia was obtained, Alevi emphasized.

However, Al-Fayyad made a trip to Moscow at the beginning of last September, when he also managed to meet with a number of Russian officials, in particular, Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of the Russian Security Council and some other military leaders.

According to a number of observers, during the current visit of Al-Fayyad to Moscow, various issues of bilateral relations were also examined, opportunities for strengthening them were considered, however, negotiations on the purchase of high-tech missile systems by Iraq were a priority task of the visit.

It should be noted that negotiations on the purchase of anti-aircraft missile systems began just when the positions of the local Shiite militia Al-Hashd al-Shaabi were repeatedly bombarded in different parts of the country. As it became known, the attacks were carried out with the support of Israel, its allies in the region, in particular, the American military and militants concentrated here, belonging to Kurdish formations called the “Democratic Forces of Syria.”

A number of official sources of the country, as well as local analysts, emphasized that the shelling was carried out not from the occupied “Palestinian territories”, but from completely different areas, in particular from the territory of eastern Syria, namely, from those areas that are controlled by militants of the “Democratic forces.”

Iraq has become the latest country to consider acquiring the Russian-made S-400 Triumf (NATO reporting name SA-21 'Growler'), the Iraqi press reported on 18 April.

According to a report from the Al Sabaah newspaper, the country's Parliamentary Security and Defence committee had submitted a report to the Iraqi prime minister's office recommending the acquisition of the S-400.

The country had previously announced in January that it would be examining potential offerings from China, Russia, and Ukraine.

The acquisition will have to await approval of the country's prime minister, with the post currently vacant. Former director of the country's National Intelligence Service Mustafa al-Khadimi is currently the prime minister designate and is negotiating with other parties to form a coalition government.